June 7, 2020 00:28

October Is Disability Employment Awareness Month

The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed October as Disability Employment Awareness Month to highlight the benefits of an inclusive work force that employs people with disabilities.

“When barriers to employment are reduced or erased, people of all abilities are able to realize and achieve their full potential and we all benefit,” Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “Our government is committed to ensuring all people have access to meaningful employment opportunities.”

In 2015, Saskatchewan introduced its Disability Strategy to transform the experience of disability in the province and ensure it is the best place in Canada for people with disabilities to live.

“An inclusive province means all people have the opportunity to participate in the workforce,” Social Services Minister Paul Merriman said. “When employers embrace the benefits of a diverse workforce and provide accommodations that are necessary for a person with a disability to do their job successfully, we all win. This month we celebrate employers that benefit from a diverse and inclusive workforce.”

“Each year, SARC is seeing more and more workplaces employing people experiencing disability,” SARC’s Executive Director Amy McNeil said. “In follow up with employers that have hired people experiencing disability, they often relay the economic and corporate benefits of being an inclusive workforce. Many employers wonder what took them so long. SARC Members are proud to celebrate inclusive employers this month and offer supports toward a successful employment relationship.”

Earlier this year, the Government of Saskatchewan invested $491,000 for SARC to administer the Supported Employment Transition Initiative, which provides community-based organizations across the province with funding to help up to 175 individuals with disabilities find employment.